Barton Silverman’s close call with the Verrazano

Bruno J. Navarro

4 years ago

Barton Silverman, a New York Times sports photographer, recalled an exciting moment near the start of his illustrious career, as a 19-year-old in Brooklyn witnessing construction of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in 1962.

“I started pulling on the rope and my foot slipped,” Silverman told the Times’ Lens blog. “Half my body was off the bridge. I had this huge camera bag pulling me down. I didn’t know if I should drop the bag into the water or save myself. Six construction workers came to help.”